Can a microdynamic approach to sleep-onset imagery solve the overabundance problem of dreaming? Commentary on Tore Nielsen's "Microdream neurophenomenology".
Neuroscience of consciousness January 1, 2019 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/nc/niz005 via PubMed
Summary
A commentary discusses Nielsen's microdynamic approach to experiences at sleep onset, termed microdreams, and their potential to illuminate dream imagery formation. The author evaluates microdreams within simulation views defining dreaming as immersive virtual world experience centered on a virtual self, and considers expanding the oneiragogic spectrum to include kinesis. The conclusion is that while some microdreams may not qualify as minimal dreams, studying them can address key questions in dream research and may offer a distinct pathway to full dreaming.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | A subset of microdreams may not fulfill conditions for minimal dreams, but their investigation can address key questions in dream research and may constitute a distinctive pathway to full-fledged dreaming. |
Abstract
Nielsen proposes that a microdynamic approach to experiences occurring in the earliest stages of sleep onset, which he calls microdreams, can shed light on the process of dream imagery formation. I discuss microdreams in the context of simulation views, in which dreaming is defined as the immersive experience of a virtual world centered on a virtual self. I also evaluate his proposal to expand the dimensions included in the oneiragogic spectrum by kinesis. I conclude that while a subset of microdreams might not fulfill the conditions to count as even minimal dreams, their investigation can nonetheless help address key questions in dream research and may even constitute a distinctive pathway to the generation of full-fledged dreaming.